


Fleeting Moments With You

by nonchalantlupin



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Also this is my first fic so I am sorry in advance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Despite missing over a year of high school?? LOL, Lotsa blood in the prologue, M/M, Mild Gore, Mild Language, Post-Conan Kudou Shinichi, Shinichi is 18-19 years old and in college
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2018-10-23 16:33:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10723089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonchalantlupin/pseuds/nonchalantlupin
Summary: Shinichi meets a boy who calls himself Kaito Kuroba and asks him to help solve a case. However, he finds something out about the mysterious boy that rocks his world.*  NOT ABANDONED!!  *





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the end.

_1 year ago..._

* * *

 

"Give it up, Kaitou Kid! There's no use trying to escape!" yelled an officer up in a helicopter through a megaphone. There were police officers all around him, including some up in the sky.

"Shit! They found me!" Kaito hissed. He was on his way home. It was just a usual night after a heist... nothing out of the ordinary. "Well, gentlemen, I'd really love to stay and chat, but I must be going. See you next illusion~!"

_POOF!_

Kaito dropped a smoke grenade to mask his quick and clever escape. Once he was out of sight, he rushed into the closest back alley and hid in a spare room that happened to be empty and unlocked. As soon as he knew that the coast was clear, he cautiously came back out. It was dark outside, even with the city lights on. He had started to change into his civillian clothes when he was interrupted by the sound of footsteps a little too close for comfort. Heart pounding out of his chest, he slowly turned around.

It was him... _Snake._

Snake was standing in front of him, showing off that evil grin of his as he pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Kaito. Kaito froze in his tracks. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and his heartrate went up. Droplets of sweat dripped down his forehead and his eyes widened in horror. Time came to a stop. This wasn't his first time with a gun pointed at him, but there was something different about it.

It was at that moment that he realized, _"Damn, he's really gonna kill me, isn't he?"_ Kaito didn't want to die; he still had so much to do. He wasn't ready to die. Not to mention how pissed that bastard Hakuba would be. He was almost as obsessed with catching him as Inspector Nakamori was. And Aoko...what about Aoko? She'd be devastated and livid at the same time. Hell, she would probably march into the afterlife herself and drag him out by his ear! Akako would do some freaky witch magic shit and bring him back from the dead. Those three wouldn't let him die even if he wanted to.

What about the others? Jii, Mom, Inspector Nakamori...and that smart-ass kid who showed up at his heists every so now and often, Conan Edogawa... How would they feel? And all his fans... he wondered how they would feel, too. Would they be sad? Would they miss him?

...Would he even get a chance to say goodbye?

"We meet again, Phantom Thief 1412. Or should I say... Kaito Kuroba?" Snake gave a spine-chilling smile that made his stomach cartwheel.

Trying not to let Snake notice, he slipped his arm behind him and pulled out a tape recorder. He clicked the start button and snuck the recorder up his sleeve. He knew that this was his only chance at evidence that Inspector Nakamori could use when he investigated his death... his murder. "Put the gun down and I'll talk," Kaito demanded firmly.

"And what could I possibly gain from talking to a brat like you? Don't make me laugh, boy." Kaito could practically taste the venom in his tone. Kaito looked collected on the outside, but inside, he knew the man was right. What _could_ he gain, besides wasted time?

"My, how rude!" he gasped in mock offense. "Between you and me, I think I have a much better chance of finding the Pandora. Why not just kill me when I find it?" He thought he had made a good point, but Snake didn't buy it.

"Naive child," Snake sneered, "we don't need you, just like we didn't need your father. You're a nuisance, and possibly the death of our entire organization because you know of our existence."

"If that's the only way to avenge my father, then so be it," Kaito growled, "I'm going to bring down your organization if it's the last thing I do!"

"It very well may be the last thing you do, you insolent fool. But not if I can help it!" Snake pulled out his gun, and so did Kaito. One was obviously more lethal than the other, but the card gun was better than nothing. Kaito immediately began firing his cards, and Snake pulled the trigger.

_**BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!** _

Four shots were fired at Kaito, and they all hit. Unfortunately, none of his cards hit Snake's skin, which was gonna make this one difficult case. Kaito fell to the ground while his precious blood spilled out of him. Snake cackled as he sauntered away from the scene. Of course there was a high-tech muffler in the gun, so no one was close enough to hear it.

Needless to say, things weren't looking so well for him. He probably only had a few more minutes left to live, and his chances of survival were dropping by the second. He weakly propped himself up against the wall behind him and turned off the tape recorder. Goddammit, he was in so much pain. Couldn't someone just put him out of his misery already? Kaito pulled out his cellphone and dialed Inspector Nakamori's number.

Why call an ambulance? Ambulances are for chumps. Who would help a lowly thief like him, anyway? No disrespect intended to the Inspector, but the cops would probably just arrest him in the middle of surgery or something. He might as well use this chance to say goodbye, right?

"Kaito? What are you doing, calling me so late? Is something the matter?" the Inspector asked.

"Hey, Inspector. I really, uh, hate to bother you so late at night, but you see, I... I kind of got into some trouble on my way home from this fancy event that my mom made me go to in her place. I don't have my motorcycle, and even if I'm did, I'm too, um... injured to ride it."

Bam. Excuse for his fancy clothes that coincidentally happen to look like KID's uniform? Check.

"Injured? What happened?"

"Uhhh... I was shot, how many times? Right, four. I was shot with a pistol four times." Well, he wasn't lying...

"What?! Four times?! Why are you callingme instead of a damn ambulance?! This ain't my job, boy!"

"Sorry, sir," he apologized sheepishly.

"You need to hang up and call an ambulance. Seriously."

"Oh, trust me, that won't be necessary, Inspector..." He'd be dead soon, anyway.

"Kaito, I know you don't like asking for help, but your life is in danger."

"Do you think you could just come with Aoko?" he pleaded. "I don't really care if you call an ambulance or just drop me off at the hospital."

"Alright, fine," he sighed, "just tell me where you are."

"Hmm, I just saw Kaitou KID a minute or two ago, so I must be at the last place he was spotted in." He took great care in not mentioning that he himself was KID. "I'm in an alley near a..." - he focused his eyes to read a sign - "...a ramen shop."

"Alright. It'll take a bit, but I'll drive over there. I'm calling an ambulance."

"Thanks." Kaito ended the call and released a long, exhausted sigh. He tightly wrapped his tie around his shoulder as a makeshift bandage, and covered his stomach with his once pristine white blazer and cape that were now becoming sullied and stained with his blood and sweat. _"Damn, I don't think I'll be able to get this one out,"_ he thought. As soon as he finished adjusting the blazer, he heard his phone going off and picked it up, answering the call. It was from Aoko. As soon as he answered the call, the rage of the gods boomed from the other side.

"Kaito, what the hell?! Are you okay? What happened?!" she yelled through the phone, throwing a barrage of questions at him. He grimaced at the volume of her voice.

"Keep it down, will you? I just got into trouble with some bad guys. It hurts like a bitch, but it's nothing you should worry about."

"What...? Is it someone from school? Aoko will beat them up!"

"Aoko, you can't beat anyone up. At best, you can hit them with a mop or something," he snickered. A growl came from the other end of the phone in return.

...Maybe it was better if she didn't know who Kaitou KID really was. But what would cause her more pain, her learning that her dead friend was Kaitou KID, which she inevitably would find out without him evading suspicion like he always does, or telling her himself before he kicks the bucket? He tried to think of what his dad would do if he was in a situation like this. Would he keep his secret from the person he loves until the very end, or tell the person himself? It's not like he'd have to go to prison afterwards... Unless there was some kind of afterlife jail-time that he would have to serve.

He decided to tell her. Or at least try to. "I--" Kaito vomited blood before he could say anything. He sputtered and coughed a bit, but the fit ended after ten seconds or so. "You..." Goddammit, he was so lightheaded. He groaned as everything started to spin. There was a sharp ringing in his ears. He had waited too long; he was going to have one hell of a time trying to say it now that he's on the brink of death.

"Stop it! Stop talking!" Aoko cried over the phone, sounding very scared and worried. There was the sound of a car door slamming shut and then she ended the call abruptly.

"Fuck," Kaito cursed as he put his head between his knees and closed his eyes. What felt like a few minutes (really only 40 seconds or so) passed as he sat there like that, shivering and sweating at the same time.

"Look! Over there! There's blood!" a voice shouted. Unless there was some other dude who was bleeding out, they were referring to him, most likely. His blood must have trickled down the cracks of the pavement. The footsteps got closer, and Kaito heard a loud gasp. He couldn't tell the emotion behind it.

"Kaito!! Kaito, can you hear me?" a girl who he figured was Aoko shouted as she lightly shook his shoulders. "Come on, Kaito! Wake up!"

"Just five more minutes," he mumbled as he lifted his head and looked up at her with a grin. It was an exhausted, forced grin that just made her worry even more. "Took ya long enough." Her lips curved into a frown and she started crying. Bawling would be the more accurate term, actually.

"You IDIOT!" she yelled. "You told me not to worry, but you're covered in blood! Why didn't you call an ambulance!?" She covered her face with her hands to wipe away her tears, but they wouldn't stop. "You've always been like this! Never asking for help! Even the best magicians have assistants, you know!" She grunted in frustration.

For some reason, something in him cracked after hearing that. A drop of salt water trickled down his cheek, and then another one, and another one, until he couldn't hold it back anymore.  _"Yuck. How embarrassing,_ _"_ he thought. He really couldn't afford to lose any more body fluids, and yet he still cried. "I'm sorry..." he murmured as he took off his gloves to wipe away the tears falling down his face.

"Hey, don't cry..."

"I'm not... I'm not crying." A pair of arms wrapped around him and pulled him closer, even though he was covered in blood.

"...Huh? A-Aoko? What, what are you doing...?" he stammered. He was confused and flustered at first, but with no strength left in him to possibly resist, he gave in. She always was pretty stubborn, anyway. He closed his eyes. "Hey... you know, uh... once this is over, your dad, he won't have to spend so much time chasing after KID," he panted.

"...What's that supposed to mean?"

"Because KID, he's... He's going somewhere... far away..."

"What? How do you know this?"

"He... told me so...himself." Kaito quickly covered his mouth with his hands, and blood spurted out a split-second later, dripping down his arms. "...that he's... that he's dying. KID and I... we're one and the same, Aoko. I'm... I'm Kaitou KID." Shit, he was so tired. It hurt so much.

"No... No! You can't be! KID is a liar, thief, and a... a criminal! He's a bad person!"

"Magicians... are liars, too... And besides, I... I like to consider him.. er, myself... morally ambiguous," Kaito laughed. His pathetic, pitiful laugh transformed into a cough, and blood spilled out of his mouth yet again.  _"Ah, shit,"_ he thought,  _"I can't hold up for much longer... I gotta finish this up quick."_ His hearing was muffled, and the sharp ringing still hadn't gone away. All he could see were stars. Droplets of sweat trickled down his neck and forehead. It felt like he was in a daze.

Kaito draped his shaking arms around Aoko's slender neck, and the rest of his body drooped as if it was a wilting flower. She held him tighter, as if he were a baby kitten. He drew out a long, shaky breath and whispered, "I'm sorry, Aoko... and... thank you... for-- for everything."

And then everything went black.

_At the Hospital_

* * *

 

Kaito was rushed into the OR for emergency surgery, and neither Aoko nor Mr. Nakamori were allowed past the final set of doors. With tears in her eyes, she brushed his messy, dark brown bangs to the side and kissed him goodbye on his forehead, like a mother kissing her child goodnight. The doors slammed shut and she ran outside to be alone, tears trickling down her cheeks. Out behind the hospital, there was a grassy hill overlooking the city. She lied back on the soft, green grass and looked up at the starry night sky. She recalled a memory of her and Kaito as little kids, stargazing. She covered her face with her arms and sniffled. The fabric of her blood-stained cardigan soaked up her salty tears. "Please, please be okay," she whimpered quietly as she wept.

After about 30 minutes of solitude, her dad came out and joined her. "Aoko...I know this must be even harder for you than it is for me," he said, "but I know you can make it through this." Maybe he wasn't as good as her mother had been, but he always tried his best to comfort Aoko in times of need.  "I promise we'll find who, er... shot at him." He didn't want to say 'killed' yet, mostly because he knew it would make Aoko feel worse, but partly because he wanted to lie to himself for a bit longer. Kaito was almost like a son to him. He had known him for eight years.

"You know, back in that alley... Kaito told me that he's Kaitou KID. He said that 'once this is over, your dad won't have to spend so much time chasing after KID' because 'he's going somewhere... far away...' But if I had to choose between Kaito and KID disappearing forever or Kaito and... KID... staying here with us, I... I would choose the second option, " she sobbed. The inspector squeezed his daughter's shoulder reassuringly.

"I had my suspicions. No matter how many times I tried, the only person who could possibly be Kaitou KID was Kaito." He let out a sigh.

"Daddy... Do you think Kaito is gonna make it?"

"I hope so, Aoko. I hope so." He wrapped his arms around his daughter as she cried.

_2 hours later..._

* * *

Aoko slept on her father's shoulder while they sat in the waiting room. It was well past midnight. She began to wake up as she heard footsteps getting closer and closer. She lifted her head and looked up to see a doctor walking towards them. He was wearing the stereotypical white lab coat with a pen in his coat pocket, and there was a stethoscope draped around his neck.

"Mr. Nakamori Ginzou and Miss Nakamori Aoko, we are very sorry to inform you that Mr. Kuroba Kaito..."

That was all she needed to hear. Her world crumbled beneath her feet.

**Kaito was dead.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaito should have passed out from blood loss two or three minutes after he was shot xD But that wouldn't be any fun, now would it?


	2. Prologue

_“Tantei-kun… Find it… You must find the Pandora before it’s too late…”_

Shinichi recalled what the mysterious boy in his dream had said as he sat on his bed. He had been having the same dream for 3 days in a row now! It always began with him running through a long, dim hallway with a ruby red carpet that seemed to go on forever. Then he would reach the door at the end after what felt like an eternity. It was a big, golden door with elegant, intricate patterns that seemed fit for a castle. He would turn the knob and open the door, and then, on the other side, would be a blinding white light. When the flash resided and he could see again, he found himself at a beautiful grand fountain. Water ran down the walls, and in the middle stood a ring of stone arches forged from marble. Ivy climbed up some of them. In the middle of the ring was a pool of water. It was shallow at the ends and got deeper towards the center. Floating orb-shaped lights illuminated the room. They were pale-colored, like washed-out pastels, and emitted a bright, yet soft, warm light. Every time, he would walk into the center of the fountain, which then transported him to another area, but it was always too foggy to see much of anything. In the fog, he saw a blurred silhouette of a person who seemed far away. He made splashes with each step he took on the cold, hard floor, which felt like smooth stone. As he got closer, he could start making out details, but they were all fuzzy. The person looked like a young boy about his age dressed in what appeared to be formal clothing. He gave off a refined and elegant aura. However, he couldn’t quite make out his face or the exact details of his attire. He appeared to have dark brown hair just like Shinichi. The boy would always say the same thing… “Find the Pandora.” Then he wakes up.

After reminiscing about his dream, Shinichi decided to take a visit to his personal library downstairs. He had a large collection of books, ranging from Sherlock Holmes and other mystery novels to textbooks, biographies of famous detectives, and some outdated encyclopedias. When he went to look for a book to read, however, there sat his encyclopedia on the floor, opened to the “Magician” page. “ _Was that there last time I was in here?_ ” he wondered. He guessed it had been, since he often forgot to put things back in their spot. He decided to read it anyway.

Reading about magicians reminded him of Phantom Thief 1412, AKA Kaitou KID. He hadn’t shown up since last year. Rumors were going around that he was dead or that he quit being a thief. Everyone loved him, even the police force, although some were especially reluctant to show it. He could be a pain in the ass for everyone else, but for him, his heists were thrilling and fun. No one could deny that his heists were a nice break from the ugly murder cases they always seemed to get here in Beika. He never killed anyone and usually gave the jewels he stole back to the rightful owners, or tossed them over to Conan when he caught him. To be honest, his wild goose chases were kind of fun to watch. There was so much thrill in figuring out where he would be next and anticipating his arrival. He had tons of fans that all gathered around at each of his heists. Did anyone truly despise KID from the bottom of their heart? Even other thieves seemed to like him. As he was thinking about KID, it dawned on him that he actually kind of missed him. Would he ever see him again? He hoped so. The thief didn't really know him as Shinichi Kudo, but he knew him quite well as Conan Edogawa.

Shinichi wanted some fresh air, so he got up from his comfortable rocking chair and put his book away. He slipped his feet into a pair of red converse high tops, like the kind he would wear in high school. He opened the door and was surprised to see that it was already getting dark outside. He closed the door behind him and started walking with no particular destination in mind. He just hoped that he wouldn’t trip on any dead bodies. Death seemed to follow him...

On the way back from his walk, he saw a boy standing outside his gate. He had messy brown hair and wore a black gakuran school uniform with the first yellow button undone, revealing a white shirt underneath. “Uh, do you need something?” Shinichi asked.

“Oh, you must be the famous detective,” the boy remarked, “I was hoping you could take a look at a case that the police are stuck on…”

“Sure, why not? What case is it?” It's not like he had anything better to do. Besides, you know, college.

“Just ask them about the Kuroba case from about a year ago. Kuroba is my name. Kaito Kuroba,” said the boy.

“Pleased to meet you, Kuroba-kun. I’ll make sure to stop by and ask for the files,” Shinichi replied with a smile. He turned the other way to go to the police station. For some reason, he felt like the boy was familiar to him. Where had he seen him before...? After a few steps, Shinichi decided to make sure he wasn’t still standing there. He looked back in the direction he came from, but there was no one there. “ _Damn, he’s fast!_ ”

Shinichi shivered as a cool breeze’s icy fingers brushed against his bare neck. It was already starting to get cooler outside. He was wearing a dark blue long-sleeved shirt that left his neck exposed to the wind. He tilted his head up and looked at the sky while he walked. It was a blend of warm colors. Shinichi hummed a familiar tune, albeit extremely off-key, while he watched the sun set. _Caw, caw!_ He heard some birds calling in the distance.

Once Shinichi arrived at the police station, he stood and simply stared. The last time he was there was two or three months ago. He had been busy trying to move back into his mansion he'd been living in before he turned into Conan. As he was looking around for someone to go to for the files, he saw Takagi doing some paperwork in another room, slightly disorganized as usual. “Yo, Takagi!” Shinichi raised his arm and waved at the young detective.

“Oh, Kudo-kun! What brings you here on a Friday night?” Takagi asked.

“Do you know where the files for the Kuroba Kaito case from last year are? I heard the case still hasn't been solved. Kuroba-kun himself asked me to take a look at it.”

“The Kuroba case from last year, you say? Sure, I’ll let you borrow the files, but how did Kaito Kuroba ask you to look at the case **when the kid has been dead for about a year now?** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fountain in Shinichi's dream was inspired by the Great Fairy Fountain from The Legend of Zelda!!  
> The fog scene was inspired by the scene in Mamoru Chiba's (Darien Shields if you watched the dub) dream in the beginning of Sailor Moon! Haha.


	3. We Finally Meet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Well, well, my little detective, you guessed right! I'm so proud of you," teased a cute yet slightly seductive masculine voice playfully, "but if you want to see my face, you'll have to solve my riddle first. Now tell me, what turns everything around but does not move? I'll be waiting, tantei-kun..."

_"...when that kid has been dead for over a year now?"_

Shinichi couldn't get Takagi's words out of his head. If Kaito Kuroba died a year ago, then who was the boy he had met earlier? He didn't want to think about it, so he picked up an unfinished book and started where he had last left off. He sat on his bed and began to read.  _Yawn..._ He felt himself drifting off to sleep.

Shinichi woke up the next morning, still wearing his clothes from yesterday. Since he didn't have anything scheduled for today, he decided that he was going to visit Kaito's grave. He bought some fresh flowers from the florist a few blocks away and headed to the location that Takagi had told him the grave was. His grave was next to his father, Toichi Kuroba's grave. The grave read:

_"IN LOVING MEMORY OF KUROBA KAITO_

_JUNE 21 19XX - SEPTEMBER 4 19XX"_

"Oh, jeez...Poor kid died when he was only 17," Shinichi said. He felt sorry for Kaito. He wondered how he had died, what his last words, thoughts, wishes, and regrets must have been. To die at such a young age... it was a real shame. He felt a strange attachment to him now, despite never knowing him personally. Shinichi gently laid down some flowers on the gravestone. He pulled out a pack of matches and struck the match against the side of the box to ignite it. _Crack!_ The spark ignited the hot, orange fire and lit the incense that he had brought with him. 

"I don't know who you are, Kuroba-kun, but I'll find who killed you, I promise," Shinichi muttered softly as he watched the lotus-scented smoke sway and swirl with the wind. He stayed until the stick of incense was completely burnt. Maybe he was being a bit too thorough, but he didn't really care. It never hurt to pay your respects to those who have passed, right? "May you rest in peace." After paying his respects, Shinichi lifted himself off of the grass and headed home.

Later that day, Shinichi was reading in front of the fireplace like he always did, snugly wrapped in a blanket with his cat curled up on his lap. He was rereading a book from his favorite mystery series. He was so deeply engrossed in it that --  _WHOOSH! ..._ he was completely unaware of his surroundings. He didn't even notice how that gust of wind had blown out the fire he was sitting in front of until 5 seconds later. "What the heck...? But the windows are closed," a very surprised and confused Shinichi exclaimed. Your average person would more likely than not be freaked out by now, but Shinichi is far from average..... okay, mostly because Shinichi was a firm non-believer of ghosts. Or at least he told himself that. He thought all that paranormal stuff was complete bogus.

"Ugh, whatever. I'm just gonna go to bed." He picked up his cat and grumpily trudged off to the bathroom to brush his teeth and clean his face. Gotta keep the face clean and clear for the ladies, am I right?

As he was about to get into bed with his cat curled up in a circle on the corner of it, he heard a tap-tap-tap outside his window. " _I_ _t's probably just a woodpecker or something. Damn birds..._ " Shinichi got under the comfort and safety of the blanket. He closed his eyes, laid back onto his pillow, and sighed, letting the tension in his body escape. He relaxed his muscles and started to drift off to a peaceful sleep. Right before he was about to slip into slumber, however, he felt something cold touch the back of his neck. It felt like... a hand?! His heart skipped a beat and he started sweating nervously. He was frozen with fear, and the only thing he could hear was his quickening heartbeat. Second turned to minutes, and the sensation disappeared, much to his relief. Once Shinichi regained his composure, he decided to stray from his self-proclaimed non-belief in ghosts and spirits and tried to think of a reason why this was happening. He remembered that he had visited Kaito's grave earlier that day, and remembered how the boy he saw the day before looked exactly like the pictures of Kaito from a quick look at the case files. Maybe...? "...Kaito? If you're there, please come out," he requested with a curious yet hesitant tone. .....Maybe he was wr--  _FWOOM!_ A flaming blue wisp appeared before him!

"Well, well, my little detective, you guessed right! I'm so proud of you," teased a cute, yet slightly seductive masculine voice playfully, "but if you want to see my face, you'll have to solve my riddle first! Now tell me, what turns everything around but does not move? I'll be waiting, _tantei-kun..._ " He heard a chuckle and then the wisp disappeared into thin air as quickly and suddenly as it had came.

 _"What_ _turns everything around but does not move...? Well,"_  Shinichi pondered, " _a banding wheel turns things around, but it moves. Think, Kudo, think._ " What was another word for turning things around? Rotating, flipping, reflecting... Flipping would require movement, so no. Rotating as well. But what about reflecting? _"W_ _hat's something that reflects, but stays still,"_  he asked himself. He remembered the wisp's words and thought about what his options were. A pond... no, the water moves. A spoon... no, that can't be it. A spoon distorts; it doesn't give a perfect mirror image. Wait... mirror image? Could it be... a mirror? Yeah!  _"A mirror! That's gotta be it!"_ He ran to his dresser and snatched his hand mirror. "A mirror! A mirror turns everything around but doesn't move!"

Shinichi looked into the mirror, waiting eagerly with anticipation for something to happen, like a puppy waiting for a treat. His eyes glistened with excitement. The reflection on the mirror started to get wavy and wobbly, and then morphed into the image of a handsome boy with a coincidental and striking resemblance to himself. The boy had bright, gorgeous eyes, blue like iolite. He had messy, dark brown hair with bangs that came directly above his eyes -- like his own hair, but just a lot messier -- and a beautifully radiant smile that made Shinichi's heart throb. His nose was slightly pointier than Shinichi's and his face was simply adorable. He was positively charming in every way. It isn't narcissistic to be attracted to someone who looks exactly like you, is it?

"I, uh...You...You're," Shinichi stammered and made other incoherent noises while having an internal gay crisis.

"Stunning? Handsome? Gorgeous? The sexiest, most dashing young man you've ever seen in your life? Absolutely fabulous," Kaito jokingly asked.

Shinichi sarcastically replied with a playful, teasing smirk, "Uh-huh."

"Oh, detective, you wound me so," Kaito gasped in mock disbelief, putting the back of his hand on his forehead.

After a slight pause, Shinichi started to turn the conversation another way."So, Kuroba-kun-"

"You can just call me Kaito."

"...Okay, Kaito, why did you come back home with me? Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yeah, I've been unable to move on because that stupid Pandora is still out there. But I can't look for it myself. I need help."

"Wait, hold up. Pandora? What are you talking about?" Shinichi asked, obviously confused. Pandora... Hasn't he heard that somewhere before?

"The legendary Pandora is a crystal that my father died for, and so did I. I was killed because I was trying to find it so I could destroy it once and for all, but my dad died 'cuz he wouldn't steal it for a few jackasses. _Tantei-kun_... Please, you must find the Pandora before it's too late," Kaito pleaded, "before anyone else gets hurt." He had a pained expression on his face that was heartwrenching. Shinichi desperately wished that he could hug him to offer at least a bit of comfort. You can't exactly hug someone inside of a mirror, though.

But what was so important about some stupid jewel?

"Why did they want it? Was it really so valuable to take a life for?" What kind of awful person would murder a teenager for some stupid jewel? It was wretched. Repulsive.

"Legend has it," Kaito began, "the Pandora gives immortality to whoever possesses it. That's why I want to destroy it. Who knows how many lives, innocent or not, have been taken for the sake of obtaining it." Dedicating and sacrificing yourself to save others...his playful appearance and his mysterious nature hid a heart of gold. He was quite admirable, perhaps even noble. "I ruined my life and became a phantom thief in order to try and locate it. To this day, I don't think it's ever been found. I wasted my time looking for some dumb jewel that probably doesn't even exist. Pathetic, huh?" He gave a self-deprecating, hollow laugh and his eyes darkened.

Shinichi's eyes widened in surprise. "...Phantom thief?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I put the XX's on the birth and death years on Kaito's grave because Gosho doesn't give any specific dates in Detective Conan. DCMK takes place in the early 90's, though, so I know I'm right about the '19' part!


	4. I Can't Think Of a Clever Title

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinichi's eyes widened in surprise. "Phantom thief?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the wait! Things have been really hectic and I've been super busy and I also got writer's block...;;

"Yeah. Ever heard of Kaitou KID?"

"Heard of him? How could I not? He's Japan's favorite thief," he exclaimed.

"Hmm, haven't heard that one before." Kaito looked amused. Had he ever heard any other names for himself before?

"He's really good, you know. It's like magic," he said in awe, eyes sparkling and a grin on his face. "He's the best in the world."

"Thanks. I try," Kaito replied with a smile.

Shinichi raised his eyebrows and blinked. "Huh?" 

"Oh, yeah. I got distracted, sorry about that. I'm Kaitou KID. Or at least I used to be," he laughed.

"Wait, so then does that mean..." No way. It couldn't be! He didn't want to say it. He didn't want to believe it. "KID, he...he's dead...?"

"Bingo! Yep, he's dead alright. Expired. Deceased. Lifeless. As dead as dead can be." Shinichi's legs gave out and he stumbled down onto the bed. That can't be true! Had that been why he hadn't heard anything about the infamous thief in so long, and why everyone changed the subject whenever he brought it up? He knew he had seen Kaito's face somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it. Put KID and Kaito together, and the puzzle is solved. 

"Dammit," he hissed through gritted teeth, "you've gotta be kidding me! That guy can't be dead! You're lying!" Shinichi clenched his fist and pounded the mattress. His cat jerked her head up, startled by the sudden movement. He sighed, letting the anger rush out with the breath as he relaxed his hand. "Please tell me that's not true," he whispered sadly.

Kaito looked at him with pity. "I wish I could say I was lying, detective, but it's the truth," he answered softly.

After a long pause, Shinichi asked, "How did you die?" He scratched the back of his head. "If that's okay to ask..."

"Oh, me? I was shot four times and then bled to death. Nothing much, really. Could've been worse."

"What happened?"

"The answer to that question is nearby, detective; you just need to find it." The magician waved goodbye. "Farewell, and don't forget, you have a mystery to solve..." The reflection in the mirror became distorted and wobbly as it swirled Kaito's image away and turned the mirror back to how it was before. Shinichi sighed and flopped onto his pillow, pulling the covers over him. There were a million thoughts racing through his head, but now wasn't the time to be thinking about them. Shinichi closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

_Meanwhile at the police station..._

The door slammed open and a tall, broad-shouldered man came stomping in, blood boiling and steam coming out of his ears. His face was as red as a tomato. He was _mad_.  **"TAAAAAAKAAAAAAGIIIIIIIII!!** " The elongated syllables of his name being called meant nothing other than trouble. " **WOULD YOU PLEASE DO ME THE HONOR OF TELLING ME EXACTLY _WHERE_ ON _EARTH_ MY CASE FILES WENT?** " Nakamori roared like a lion. Who told Inspector Nakamori that he let someone borrow the files on the Kuroba case?! "Sir," he began sheepishly, "what case files are you talking about?"

Takagi Wataru was a dead man.

Inspector Nakamori slammed his hands on the desk and leaned in close. He could feel the other man's breath. "Takagi Wataru, I am giving you 10 seconds, and no more than 10, to fess up. Now tell me; Where. Are. My. Case. Files? You know the ones," he said sweetly, with the hidden anger in his eyes to kill a man, "of the boy who was like a son to me? The boy my daughter watched die in her arms? Yeah. That one."

"I-I-" Takagi stammered.

"Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six..."

"OKAY, OKAY! I LET THAT HOT-SHOT HIGH SCHOOL DETECTIVE KUDOU SHINICHI BORROW THEM, SIR! HE ASKED TO SEE THEM, SIR," he blurted out.

The inspector squinted. "Takagi..."

"Yes, sir," he gulped. He could barely handle the suspense.

"You're a genius!" Nakamori bellowed with laughter. "Why hadn't I thought of that sooner?! Come on, let's get a beer." Whew! He thought he was a goner.  _"I wonder what that kid needed those files for, anyway,"_ the officer wondered as he packed up for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a habit of using all caps when a character is shouting lol


	5. A Lead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Well, is there anyone ELSE in here? Of course I meant you, silly!" Kaito attempted to smack Shinichi's head, but his hand just kind of... went through. "Oh, yeah. I'm a ghost," he thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH I'M SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT!! ;__;
> 
> Also, I'd just like to say how happy I am that people actually like my writing! It really means a lot to me because I'm actually kind of insecure about how I write! Thank you all so much! ❤

_"Ah. It's raining today,_ _"_ Shinichi thought to himself as he heard the muffled sound of rain from his bedroom and looked out the window. Raindrops streamed down the glass. The sound of rain was just so relaxing. Shinichi yawned and stretched out his arms. He slowly got out of bed, trudged down the slightly creaky, wooden staircase, and walked over to the library. He sleepily rubbed his eyes and looked around until he made his way to what he was looking for.

On the coffee table near the fireplace, he saw a light beige folder packed with papers and peppered with multicolored label tabs. The label sticker on the front of the folder had "CLASSIFIED PROPERTY OF TEITAN POLICE DEPT." written in bold letters. He hauled the heavy bulk of papers with him over to the red armchair and flopped down into the soft cushion, letting the folder fall into his lap.  _"Ugh, this is so heavy."_ He flipped open to the first page. In the top left was a list of information about Kaito. 

"Name: Kuroba Kaito

Age: 17

Sex: Male

Date of Birth: June 21st, 19XX

Date of Death: September 4th, 19XX

Cause of Death: Hypovolemic shock, gunshot wounds

Parents: Kuroba Toichi and Kuroba Chikage"

Hey, wait a minute. Kuroba Toichi... Didn't he know that name from somewhere?  _"Wasn't he that man my dad was friends with?"_ Shinichi vaguely recalls an "Uncle Toichi" from his early childhood. He wasn't really his uncle, though.

Maybe he had met Kaito before, too? Pushing that thought aside, he continued reading the page.

There were photos of his dead body, photos of the crime scene, and photos of the evidence. There was virtually no trace left behind, which had to mean that someone came back afterwards. The only potential lead was Kaito's description and what the tape recorder had recorded. He was pretty smart, carrying a tape recorder along with him. Maybe he was the careful, "better safe than sorry" type? He turned the page and continued reading.

"The suspect is believed to be that of an organization, perhaps some kind of cult. They seem to wear only black, and one of the members is known as 'Snake.' His rank in the organization is unknown."

Hold up. An organization who wears black? The only thing that came to his mind was the Black Organization. Hadn't they been dealt with already? A chill went up Shinichi's spine. Memories came flashing back. He remembered the pain, the secrets, the lies, the blood, the gunshots, the screaming -- he took a deep breath and tried to calm down. All of that was over now. They had all been caught by the FBI a few months ago. That was why he was able to go back to living life as Shinichi. He was safe now... right?

"Hey..." Shinichi heard a familiar voice mutter gently.

"AHHH!" He nearly jumped out of his seat. His heart pounding, he looked over to the source of the voice. The boy from last night was floating next to him. "You startled me, dammit!" Shinichi let himself relax back into the chair. He readjusted the papers, too. It would be a problem if the entire folder fell on his feet.

"Sorry," the boy apologized with a slightly forced laugh. After a short silence, his face changed; he looked worried. "But dude, is everything alright? You looked kind of scared before. I wanted to make sure you were okay..."

"W-Who, me?" Shinichi pointed at himself.

"Well, is there anyone ELSE in here? Of course I meant you, silly!" Kaito attempted to smack Shinichi's head playfully, but his hand just kind of... went through. _"_ _Oh, yeah. I'm a ghost,"_ he thought to himself.

He blinked and hesitated slightly before replying. "Yeah, I'm okay now. Thanks, Kaito." His lips curled into a warm smile and his eyes softened. It was nice that he was worried about him.

Kaito hadn't expected him to react like that. It was...good, he thought. He felt something swell up inside of him, even though there wasn't anything _there._ He wasn't supposed to exist on the physical plane. But, despite this, he began to look less transparent, as if he was a real person. Gravity was bringing him down to the floor now, too.

He remembered that Shinichi had been looking at his files before he talked to him. He became serious and more focused, and faded back to transparency as gravity let go of its grip on him. "Anyway," Kaito began as he changed topics abruptly, "have you found anything yet? Got any mind-blowing revelations?"

"Not exactly. Oh, well, actually..."

"Actually...?"

"Earlier, I was reading the files on your murder case. I came across something about the suspect. According to what it says, he's part of an organization who wears black. The thing is..." Shinichi hesitated.

"The thing is...?" he encouraged the other. Shinichi appreciated that he was being patient with him.

"Well, I was involved with an organization just like that last year. They tried to kill me by giving me poison, but someone was able to make an antidote. The FBI and the Japanese Police caught them. I only recently was able to go back to living my life."

"Oh, that blows, man... That must've been rough. I'm glad that's over, though. You're okay now," he said reassuringly.

Telling yourself that it was okay is completely different than someone else telling you that you'll be okay, Shinichi discovered. His anxiety melted away as soon as he heard those three - well, technically, four - words. _You're okay now. You're okay now._ The comforting words echoed in his head.

"Yeah... I guess I really am okay now. Thanks." A small smile escaped his lips.

"But, do you think that the organization that killed me and the organization that tried to kill you are the same one?"

"Hmm... Well, Snake  _is_ the name of an alcoholic drink... You see, all of the members had codenames of alcoholic beverages. For example, Sherry, Gin, Vodka, Bourbon..."

"So it's a possibility?" Shinichi could see the twinkle of hope in Kaito's eyes.

"Yeah. In fact, it's the biggest lead we have right now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, Kaito becomes solid when he gets flustered/embarrassed or excited, or just really happy, like the warm, fuzzy, tingly kind of happy!! It's because he generates more energy when he's like that, and that energy allows him to become solid for a bit. Once the energy fades, he goes back to being a ghost! Cute, right? I didn't include that for no reason, though. It'll reoccur again later. Maybe just for funsies...
> 
> Also, hypovolemic shock is when your body goes into shock due to blood loss. Symptoms include weak, rapid pulse, cold, clammy skin, confusion, fatigue, dizziness, and eventual organ shutdown which leads to death. Charming, isn't it?


	6. He's Sorta My Friend, But I'm Alive and He's Dead and Also The Handsome and Mysterious Phantom Thief 1412...Yeah, It's a Little Complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't run on a schedule because I only write when I feel like it, haha... Sorry!

It was late at night, maybe around 11 PM. The grandfather clock ticked rhythmically and steadily in the background. The sound was soothing, like a heartbeat, the bird chirps he hears when he wakes up, or the sound of rain and the muffled rumbling of thunder. The house was so silent that you could hear a pin drop from the other side of the room.

Shinichi sat quietly at his desk, mindlessly fiddling his pencil between his middle and index fingers because it helped him think. Only slivers of the desk peeked out under the piles and piles of paper. Books were stacked next to his chair. Every so often, he would snap out of his daze and scribble something down onto his notepad. His handwriting wasn't particularly messy (it wasn't strikingly neat and wrapped up in a nice little bow, either), but if he was really in the zone, it would look like chicken scratch. His hands raced against the speed of his thoughts and the tip of his pencil danced across the white sheet of paper. He drew intricate charts for visualization and wrote down questions and details, as well as any possible theories. It was like watching a machine.

"Hey, did you see those guys anywhere else before then?" Shinichi asked him while writing something down. His eyes didn't leave the paper.

"We met during the Blue Birthday heist, the Crystal Mother heist, the Red Tear heist, and the Midnight Crow heist," Kaito explained. "The weird thing is that I don't remember sending out any kind of notice for the Crystal Mother heist, and yet they still came..."

He patiently waited as Shinichi hastily jotted something down. It was kind of fun and somewhat amusing to watch his pupils change size like camera lenses. It was amazing how much his eyes gave away. _"He'd probably suck at poker,"_  Kaito thought.

"What if you just happened to have the same target?"

"How did he know to go there? The location wasn't made public, was it?"

"No, I don't think it was."

The police security isn't THAT bad, so it's not like it would be easy to spy. But let's say that, hypothetically, they were able to successfully spy on the police. How would they know that KID went up to the roof of the train? The only way they would be able to know about it is if someone from the police told them...a spy in the police? But how would he catch them? They could be long gone by now. How could he lure in the killer and his accomplices? Were the accomplices still alive? Who even are these people? So many questions... He got excited just by thinking about it. Most people would get discouraged, but not him. 

"Shinichi? Earth to Shinichi..." He waved his transparent hand in front of the detective's face. "Anybody in there? Yoohoo..." 

Shinichi abruptly snapped back into reality, his thoughts interrupted by Kaito trying to get his attention.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized, "I was just thinking."

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," Kaito commented sarcastically before giving him a ghost noogie. "So, Sherlock, whaddya have so far? Anything good?"

"I'm not entirely sure yet, so it's not the gospel truth or anything, but my theory is that there was a mole in the police, probably in the Kaitou KID investigation squad, who updated the organization on your whereabouts. Maybe they were being paid, or maybe they didn't have a choice. Either way, it doesn't matter. Snake could have been given directions and decided to follow you one day, so he was able to guess which route you would take on the night of your last heist. How does that sound? Am I missing anything?" Shinichi sounded somewhat pleased with himself.

"Hmm, it sounds pretty good," Kaito admitted, "It makes sense and is probably the best lead we have, so let's go with it for now. Good job."

Before Shinichi could say anything, the grandfather clock rang twelve times. Judging by how dark it was outside, it must have been midnight. It was getting late, but he didn't care. It wasn't the latest he had stayed up. Kaito, however, did care.

"Hey, shouldn't you be going to sleep now? It's 12 AM! Get to bed already," he nagged.

"Why do you care? Ghosts don't sleep, do they?" Shinichi looked at him suspiciously. 

"Well, what if this one does? What are you gonna do about it? Call a priest?" 

"But if you don't need to eat or drink, then you shouldn't need to sleep..."

"ARRRGH! Just go to bed! We're friends, I'm supposed to worry about you! That includes telling you to go to bed even though I don't need to sleep," the ghost huffed angrily before he vanished in an overdramatic puff of blue smoke.

Friends? He had a lot of friends back in high school, mostly from the soccer team, but now that he was in college, he didn't really have any friends other than his closest ones, who either lived in a different prefecture or didn't share any classes with him. He walked to the campus with Ran when they had some classes at the same time, though, but that was it. He was still getting used to life as Shinichi Kudo after living as Conan for who knows how long. He wanted to lay low for a bit. He did have acquaintances, though.

Did Kaito count as a friend? What was Kaito to him? Was "friend" the right word? He wasn't exactly a client or stranger. He wasn't a classmate or co-worker, either. He wasn't a significant other or a rival. It was nice that Kaito thought of him as a friend, though. He could never top Heiji, his best friend, his BFF, but they had their own unique kind of relationship that no one else had.

Shinichi decided to give in and call it a night. After all, who knows what that trickster will do? He may be dead, but that doesn't stop him from messing around... 

Being careful to not touch the lightbulb, Shinichi turned off the lamp sitting on top of the desk. He didn't feel like cleaning up all the papers, so he just left them sitting there. He was going to continue tomorrow anyway, so he figured he would do his future self a favor and leave them out for him. He flipped the light switch as he exited the room and went to all the other lights on the floor he was on so he could turn them off. He turned them off, switch by switch, until the entire house was covered in darkness. His only sources of light were the pale moonlight from the windows and the distant glow coming from his room. He slowly made his way over to what he thought looked like a staircase. Using his hands as his eyes, he reached out in front of him and kept his hands out as he very carefully walked over. His cat could dash in front of him any second. He risked tripping and hitting his head against the corner of something if he wasn't careful. After a few seconds of nothing but air, his fingers finally felt the smooth wooden railing. One hand wrapped onto the railing and his other to his side, he slowly climbed the staircase step by step until he reached the top. Releasing a sigh of relief, he used the lights in his bedroom that were still on to guide him. 

Once he finally gets inside his room, he closes the door behind him, despite the fact that he lives alone and has no reason to do this other than a habit formed by living with Ran and her dad as Conan. Shinichi isn't really that tired yet, so he gets into his pajamas and picks out a book from the bookshelf in the room. It's a hardback copy of A Study in Scarlet, the first volume in the Sherlock Holmes series. His great-grandfather read the very copy that Shinichi was holding in his hands when he was a kid. It was passed down to his grandfather, and then to his father, and then given to Shinichi after he learned how to read, so it's a bit worn and the pages are tinted yellow, but it has that really good book smell and it's one of his favorite books of all time. He opened to the first page and started to read.

\--

Kaito was getting bored. Shinichi didn't even have a gameboy or anything, just books. Aoko wasn't there to pester, Hakuba wasn't on his ass trying to get him to admit he's KID, and Akako wasn't there doing whatever Akako does. And now he couldn't even play video games! At least he got to haunt his old house and play on his gameboy. Even though he was a ghost, he was able to interact with objects without using much energy, since they weren't alive. He couldn't actually feel anything, but he could still make objects move with his super awesome ghost powers. But now he can't even do that. So the best option was to go hang out around Shinichi. Watching the guy sleep is kinda creepy, but he really doesn't have anything better to do. He can't haunt any of his living friends because he never went to their houses when he was alive (except Aoko, obviously). He'd probably scare the hell out of Aoko if he tried to drop in and say hi. So, up to Shinichi's room he went.

Kaito noticed that the lights in Shinichi's room were still on and the door was cracked open, probably for his cat or something. He was curious as to what he was doing, so he went in to investigate. The bastard was probably reading a book or something. He went through the door (one of the cool perks of being dead) and the first thing that caught his attention was the scarlet-colored book sitting on Shinichi's lap. His eyes trailed up the arm slumped next to it, up to the relaxed shoulders, and then to the tilted head with the peaceful, sleeping face. He fell asleep while reading the book! Kaito let out a small laugh at the sight and moved the book back to the bookshelf. It would take way too much energy to move his body flat on its back with his head on the pillow, and he didn't know if he was a light sleeper or not, so he let him be. Kaito whispered "Goodnight, Shinichi" and turned off the lights, letting the room be covered in darkness once again.

He then proceeded to draw on the vulnerable, defenseless detective's face with a black marker.


	7. This'll Be A Piece of Cake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very happy to announce that I am currently working on a visual novel inspired by/based off of this! :D
> 
> So far it's a lot different from the original script of this fanfic (I think it's a lot better and also a lot funnier). I'm starting to get the hang of Ren'Py.  
> I plan on having 4 endings. Two bad endings, one good ending, and a best ending. I'm not quite sure how long the game will be yet! Probably a couple hours?
> 
> It'll take ages to finish, but I hope you'll play it when it's released. :)

_Finally._ After a long week of waiting, Shinichi was finally able to look at the security footage from the stores that were in the vicinity of the crime scene. His opinion? Well, it was pretty boring, actually. It wasn't very interesting at all -- not until he saw a suspicious man enter a black van. He paused the footage and zoomed in on the figure, both interested and curious.

"Kaito! Get your ass over here!" Shinichi hollered. He had stopped by Kaito's old house a few days ago to pick up his gameboy and some other stuff to keep him busy while he was at college, and his ghost roommate had been occupied ever since. Kaito had reluctantly agreed to not pull pranks on him while he was asleep if he did. Waking up with doodles on your face? Trying to wash off permanent marker before classes? Not fun. Okay, it was funny. He'll give him that.

"What's up?" he asked. Suddenly, he was floating by his side. It startled him a bit, but he's more or less gotten used to it by now. 

"I found this while looking through the footage." He pointed his index finger towards the pixelated man in the image. "Anyone you recognize?"

"Him? Yeah, he's the guy we're looking for. I'm surprised he'd be so careless... Is that a car next to him?"

"Yeah." Shinichi zoomed out and continued the feed. It showed the man getting into the car and riding away as if nothing had happened. As it drove off, he got a glimpse of the license plate. He could vaguely make it out if he squinted. He paused the video again and asked Kaito, "Who do you think the one driving the car might be?" Shinichi obviously already had an idea, but letting Kaito get involved in his work was more fun. Besides, he wasn't completely useless.

"Must be one of his henchmen," Kaito shrugged. "Check out the license plate frame and see who the car belongs to."

With a quick nod, Shinichi pulled up the webpage for the public records and entered the license plate code. He hummed as he scrolled down the page, eyes darting side-to-side as he read. As he was reading, he came across a criminal record. The only charges on there were armed robbery and theft. This puzzled Shinichi, as such a clean record -- he couldn't even find any misdemeanors or DUIs -- wasn't befitting for someone who had committed a felony. He became fascinated and puzzled, and it reflected onto his face.

"Looks like someone's interested in something," Kaito remarked.

There was a long pause before Shinichi replied, "Yeah." Kaito knew by now that if he talks to Shinichi when he's busy, all he's going to get back are delayed reactions and short, choppy answers. It was kind of amusing, to be honest. He hadn't seen anyone this absorbed in their work for quite a long time. His dedication was somewhat endearing.

After about 10 minutes or so, Shinichi finally came out of his work. 

"Kaito, take a look at this!" he exclaimed with the eagerness and excitement of a child dragging their parents out of bed on Christmas morning.

"...It's a criminal record. What's so interesting about that?" Kaito wasn't very impressed.

"It's interesting because everything else on this guy is clean! Look!" He showed Kaito the rest of the records.

"...I'm not quite sure I get it, dude," Kaito said with a confused look on his face. Sometimes he just really does not understand what the hell goes on inside that guy's head.

"Don't you see? This guy is a complete amateur!" Kaito noticed that Shinichi has a habit of getting more animated when he's excited. It was pretty cute. "He used his own car to pick up someone who had just committed a crime! That must mean that he's out of the loop! And this here, look!" He points to the two charges on the criminal record. "It says here that he was with two other people who left him behind during the robbery. And this! He admitted that he had no desire to steal anything! Why steal when you have no reason to?"

"...Unless your reason is that you're being forced to commit crimes," he said with a smirk. Now he finally gets it.

"Exactly! And the best part is that he's being held in Teitan prison!"

"What, you wanna go visit him? Bring cake or something?" Kaito missed being able to eat cake. Shinichi was lucky. Enjoy your cake while you still can, you little shit...

"I want to get information out of him. He's got to know something. It'll be easy to turn him against his former partners if he doesn't already hate them. With a bit of sweet talking, this will be a piece of cake!"

"Oh my, aren't you quite the sly fox? I'd expect nothing less from my little detective," Kaito teased playfully.

"So, are you ready to go, or what?"

"Let's go. Anywhere you go, I'll follow. ...Except an aquarium." Shinichi laughed as Kaito cringed at the thought. The two got into Shinichi's car and drove to the prison.

Once they got there, it wasn't a very pretty sight. The place was rather drab. Sickeningly uninteresting. Utterly uneventful. Everything was spick and span; the design was monochrome, and not in a simple, minimalist way. It was so boring that Shinichi thought he'd fall asleep. He knows that prisons aren't exactly known for interior design, but this one could at least _try_ to look nice.

"...You sure you wanna do this?" Kaito questioned.

"I need that information if I want to help you," Shinichi explained. "Even if this place was neon yellow, I'd still stay." How...romantic?

Shinichi walked up to the main desk to speak to the receptionist sitting there reading a book. She appeared to be an old lady. Maybe in her 60s.

"I'm looking for a 'Jinzo Nakamura'. Is he here?"

"Yes, he's fairly new here. Would you like to see him?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright. What's your name?"

"My name is Shinichi Kudo."

"Oh, my! You're that famous detective I've heard about! You're even more handsome in person." She looked back down at her clipboard and jotted something down. Probably his name.

"Haha... Thank you, Ma'am." He looked... uncomfortable. Shinichi tended to get uncomfortable when strangers flirted with him. He guessed it was just part of the job.

"And what is your relation to him?"

"I'm trying to solve a case, and that man might have the information I need. I'd like to speak with him as soon as possible."

"He should be out here soon."

Shinichi walked back to where Kaito was and sat with him until the receptionist called him back a little while later.

"If you go back there, you'll see him waiting for you." She pointed in the direction of visiting area. Shinichi thanked her and walked off. Kaito trailed along behind him.

Shinichi was greeted by a tall, muscular man with thick, long, jet black dreads that were loosely tied back, dark brown eyes, and brown skin. He wore a gray tank top and black sweatpants, and had a very intricate tattoo on his left arm. He was quite attractive. 

 _"Damn!_ Hottie alert!" Kaito exclaimed.

"Shut up, Kaito," Shinichi grumbled under his breath. Kaito laughed, amused by his reaction.

"So you're that detective kid, right? Whaddya want with a guy like me?"

"You help me, and I'll help you. You have some information I need. I have ties with the police around here. Maybe I can get you a shorter sentence... _if_ you cooperate."

"...I like the way you think, kid. A'ight, I'll help you out. Whaddya need?"

"Do you know anyone named Snake?"

The man's expression darkened upon hearing the name.

"Yeah, I do. Fuckin' hate that guy."

"Is it because he forced you to commit crimes?"

He narrowed his eyes and looked at him suspiciously, his posture becoming tense. "...How did you know that?"

Shinichi passed over a photo of Snake getting into his van. His eyes glistened with anticipation as he got ready to explain.

"This proves you have relations with him. And a look at your criminal record shows..." Shinichi imagined a drum role. "...You've been charged with theft and armed robbery! The problem is, if I take a look at the rest of your records, everything is clean. There's no dirt to get on you whatsoever. Not even any DUIs. You don't seem like the kind of person to get involved in crime. So, what I'd like to know is  _why._

"He threatened to hurt my family if I didn't cooperate. That's one of the dirtiest tricks in the book, man. I didn't do that shit just 'cuz I wanted to. What about you? You seem to dislike the guy, too."

"...Killed a friend of mine."

"Damn. That blows, man."

"Well, enough about me. Do you know if any spies are in the police? Anyone that reports back to Snake?"

"Actually, yeah, there is. I think his name is Daisuke Furuya. I don't really know much about him, but he was in charge of getting information on Phantom Thief 1412 from the police."

Shinichi smiled, extremely satisfied with his work. "Thanks. That's exactly what I needed. I'll explain your situation and request a sentence shortening for you."

Jinzo handed him back the photo and waved before he left. With a bounce in his step, Shinichi thanked the receptionist and headed out the door. Kaito followed soon after.

"Woohoooo!" He pumped his fist, skipped, and twirled as he celebrated his marvelous success.

"Wow, I've never seen you this happy," Kaito admitted.

"We did it, Kaito! Now we're one step closer!" He gave him the warmest, brightest, sweetest, most innocent smile that he didn't even know was possible for a human face to make. It simply bubbled with joy.

 _"Oh no, he's cute,"_ Kaito thought. He blushed, and his shoes were mysteriously dragged down to the pavement. Forgetting all about the fact that Kaito was, in fact, not a living person, Shinichi grabbed Kaito's hands and spun him around while laughing, which only served to fluster him even more. This was the first time he had ever seen him like that, and he had not an inkling of how to handle the current situation.

People were giving them strange looks, but none of that mattered to either of them. Who cares about what other people think? They were happy. That was all they needed.

Afterwards, Shinichi, followed by Kaito, got into the car and drove home. He stopped for ice cream on the way, and Kaito, with a pout on his face, jealously watched him eat it. Sometimes, he really hated being a ghost.

Needless to say, it was a very good day for the both of them.

Kaito was still mad about the ice cream, though. Shinichi, that little bastard...


	8. Crash Landing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinichi accidentally says "love you" on his way out the door. Chaos ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy chapter 8! I'm not quite sure how many chapters there will be exactly, but we're probably somewhere past the middle, or near the end! Yahoo!! Thank you so much for supporting me! ;w;
> 
> For all my pals in the US, I hope you enjoyed the eclipse on Monday! I went all the way from South New Jersey to Cookesville, Tennessee to watch it~!

"Kaitoooo! Have you seen my jacket anywhere? You know, the black one?" Shinichi hollered across the house. Dammit, he was gonna be late if he couldn't find that stupid jacket!

Kaito curiously poked his head through the floor above to see what the fuss was all about. "The black one, huh... Didn't you leave it near the door?"

"Oh, yeah, I _did_ leave it there! You're a lifesaver!" he shouted as he dashed out of his room and sprinted down the hallway to the stairs. The first two steps were okay, but on the third step, Lightning McKudo's socks slipped on the smooth, hardwood floor and he began to not-so-gracefully tumble down the flight of stairs. He shrieked in dismay as he was launched forwards. 

_Bump._ "Ugh!"  _Bump._ "Oof!" _Bump._ "Wah!" Shinichi grimaced and prepared for his final crash landing.....

...

...

...Any second now...!

...

_"...Huh?"_

Shinichi warily opened his tightly shut eyes. He was...hovering right above the floor? Had something caught him?

"You okay there, Princess?" a familiar voice laughed. He looked up to see Kaito chuckling with a very amused look on his face. "Haste makes waste, you know," he teased as he flashed that annoyingly smug smile of his.

Shinichi's cheeks began to grow red as his pride took a hit. Embarrassed, he averted his eyes and mumbled something akin to a "thank you" under his breath. Had Kaito not caught him, he would probably have a bloody nose, or at the very least, a painful bump on his forehead. Sighing, Kaito gently landed him on the ground. Shinichi nursed his soon-to-be bruises and checked the time, screeched, and zoomed to the door. He quickly bent over and put his sneakers on in a rush. After he sloppily tied the white laces, his black jacket plopped on top of his head.

"I could've gotten it myself, you know," Shinichi grumbled as he put his arms through the sleeves.

"Hey, it saved you, like, two seconds!"

Shinichi flipped his wrist to anxiously check his watch again. He made a weird noise as his expression contorted into a mixture of unease, worry, and surprise, despite the time not changing at all since he last checked. He was quite the strange one, that was for sure.

"GottagoKaitothankssomuchIoweyouone _loveyou_ bye!!" Shinichi screamed as he burst open the door, scrambled to his car, and drove down the street, probably going way over the speed limit.

Kaito laughed as he still processed and decoded the jumble of words that came out of the other boy's mouth. "He sure is something."

_".....Wait. Did... Did he just say what I think he said?"_ There's no way he could've heard wrong. It could've been an accident, but Kaito's been living with Shinichi for a month now, and he doesn't say it enough for it to just come out like that. It had to be a slip of the tongue, right? Or maybe... Maybe he didn't mean it that way? Kaito wasn't quite sure how to properly react to the situation. ...Ugh, maybe he was just overthinking it.

He absentmindedly ran a hand through his messy, dark brown hair and was very surprised when he could actually feel something there physically. He looked down at his palm in disbelief. Usually he could see through it, but this time it looked completely solid! His hand made its way to the nearest wall, only to find that it couldn't pass through. What was happening to him? Why couldn't he pass through anything or see through himself like he always could...? Kaito ran over to the nearest mirror and gazed at his reflection in shock. He was so busy staring at himself that he didn't notice someone come through the door.

"I'm hooome! ...Uh, what are you doing? Is there something wrong?"

"Sh-Shinichi...Why are you back already? Not that I'm complaining, but don't you have classes today?"

"Classes were cancelled today; I don't know why. What's with you?"

"No idea," Kaito replied, dumbfounded. "Maybe I'll go back to normal later. Who knows?" He gave him a shrug.

"Well, I have a free schedule today, so let's go pay our little friend a visit, shall we?"

"Y-Yeah, let's do that," he stuttered as he scratched the back of his head nervously. Shinichi went back out the door, and Kaito followed closely behind him like a baby duckling following its mother. He had expected Shinichi to get into his car, but instead, he walked right past it. _"I guess we're walking instead,"_ he commented to himself. 

Without any kind of warning, Shinichi suddenly grabbed Kaito's hand and pulled him along with him, completely catching Kaito off guard. This only served to make him even more flustered, but the other boy didn't seem to have a care in the world.

A blush crept from his cheeks up to the tips of his ears. Had Shinichi always been this, um... _forward?_ Well, he knew how absorbed the detective got in his work. It often got to the point where it became like tunnel vision. That guy... He sure was interesting, to say the least.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Shinichi made a sharp 180° turn and grilled Kaito down with a concerned stare. "Yo, are you feeling okay? You've been awfully quiet. Did something happen?" Kaito made a few noises of protest, but his voice died off when Shinichi reached out his hand and felt the other boy's forehead. "Huh, no fever... Well, I guess that's to be expected, since ghosts can't get sick." Poor Kaito was only further embarrassed by the physical contact. His phantom heart ramming out of his chest, he was too dumbstruck to say anything.

_"Argh! Stupid Shinichi! If only you hadn't let those two words slip out earlier!! And stupid ME! Get a hold of yourself, Kuroba! Dammit!"_ Kaito silently cursed at himself.

Unfortunately for Kaito, it wasn't over yet. Shinichi's moved his hand down to Kaito's cheek and felt it with the back of his palm. "Wow! Your cheeks are burning up!" he yelped in surprise.

Kaito swiftly brought his free hand up to Shinichi's and nudged it away, laughing nervously. "I-I-I'm fine! Really! Let's, uh, keep going, okay?" he bursted out as he gripped Shinichi's other hand tighter and started walking - it looked more like marching - awkwardly.

"...You're going the wrong way, you know."

"O-Okay then, _you_ lead the way. I don't know my way around here," he stammered. Shinichi looked at him suspiciously for a few seconds and then shrugged it off. 

"At least we can't get separated," Shinichi commented with a slightly embarrassed look on his face. He quickly turned around, and the two kept on walking towards the police station in silence. Kaito didn't mind holding hands with him. He actually kind of enjoyed it. No, scratch that. He definitely enjoyed it.

"Hey, since you have a physical body right now, can you feel the weather?" Shinichi asked. He figured he might as well break the silence and make time pass faster by talking. Plus, he'd get to know more about Kaito.

"The weather...? No, not really. What's it like?"

"It's kinda chilly, but not too bad. Standard autumn weather."

"Chilly, huh..." he muttered as he looked up sadly at the sky, remembering a time from when he was alive. "I remember when I had to give my best friend my scarf AND jacket because she forgot hers, and wouldn't stop complaining about how chilly it was outside." His voice overflowed with melancholy and nostalgia as he reminisced about the past, and a dry, hollow laugh escaped from his mouth.

The atmosphere quickly became cold and somewhat awkward. He didn't want to see Kaito so bummed out, so he tried to cheer him up. "...Hey, after this, if you're still in your current form, I'll get you ice cream," Shinichi said. His efforts definitely worked, because Kaito's face lit up like a lightbulb and his eyes glittered with excitement.

"Really...?!" he gasped with a big, bright smile plastered on his face.

"Uh-huh," Shinichi nodded in reply.

"You're the best!" Kaito cheered as he jumped up into the air.

"Oh, look. We're here." Shinichi walked in like he owned the place, while Kaito shyly followed. He vaguely recognized a face in there - the man in the helicopter during the clock tower heist, if he remembered correctly - but he didn't know anyone else. "Okay, just follow my lead."

"Who are those guys?" Kaito asked as he pointed to the groups of men in uniform. He never really had any business down at the police station in the past, unless he was just tagging along with Aoko.

"They're from Division One; I work with them often. We'll stop by Division Two once we're done here. I have some business with the Inspector." The two walked up to the help desk and were greeted by the secretary. 

"Oh, Kudo-kun! It's been a while! How can I help you?"

"Do you know where I could possibly find Mr. Daisuke Furuya? I have something I need to discuss with him."

"Oh, yes! He's in Division Two. Here's his contact information."

"Thank you," he smiled politely and walked away. "Okay, now I just need to head up to Division Two's floor..."

"Uh... Should I wait outside while you talk to the inspector? He'll surely recognize me, and I'm not quite sure how I'd explain my striking resemblance to, well, myself," Kaito explained. He knew that there were chairs outside of Inspector Nakamori's office that he could sit on while he waited.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot that you were close to him when you were alive. Yeah, you should wait outside," Shinichi replied as he pushed the elevator button. The door opened with a _'ding'_ a few seconds later. Shinichi and Kaito walked in and pressed the button for floor two. They remained silent on the way up, listening to the faint sound of the elevator music.

Once they got out of the elevator, Shinichi guided Kaito down the long hallway to Inspector Nakamori's office. The magician sat down cross-legged like a child on the soft-cushioned chair outside the door. Shinichi let go of Kaito's hand and smiled. "I'll be right back," he reassured the other boy before he entered the room. From the muffled voices Kaito could overhear from the outside, it sounded like they were just discussing his case. No juicy gossip, unfortunately.

With nothing to do, he closed his eyes and listened to the sounds around him. Surprisingly, it was pretty quiet. His ears picked up the distant sound of heels clacking against tile, and he kept listening as they got closer and louder until suddenly, they stopped. There was a long pause, and then he heard a hesitant _'cl_ _ack'_. He heard two more, and then they stopped again. But this time, he could feel someone standing in front of him. He opened his eyes and looked up at the girl in front of him. He froze once he saw the familiar long, brown hair and blue eyes. His eyes widened in surprise.

**_"Kai...to...?"_ **


	9. Just Because He's Dead Doesn't Mean He Can't Score

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY, EVERYONE!! I'M NOT DEAD!! :D I feel so bad for leaving u guys on a cliffhanger for half a year T__T
> 
> *deep voice* Last time on FMWY...
> 
> But this time, he could feel someone standing in front of him. He opened his eyes and looked up at the girl in front of him. He froze once he saw the familiar long, brown hair and blue eyes. His eyes widened in surprise.
> 
> "Kai...to...?"

Kaito had two words for this situation:

Oh. Fuck.

He was so screwed. What was he supposed to do? Even after all this time, he was afraid -- afraid of what she'd say to him, afraid of how she'd look at him, afraid of her reaction. Afraid. He wanted to just disappear, but for some reason, no matter how many times he tried, it didn't work. Maybe it was some inner desire to see her again. Maybe it was the universe messing with him. Either way, it looked like being a coward wasn't gonna get him out of this one. He let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "...Long time no see, Aoko." At least for her it was. Kaito had seen her almost every day for the past year. He nervously averted his eyes. For a while, she just gaped at him in shock. The color had slightly drained from her face, but not as badly as it had when she saw him lying in the alley covered in blood. It also reminded him of that time Akako frightened her so badly that she fainted. The memory made him laugh slightly. It wasn't an actual laugh, it was the silent kind of laugh that came out as air, like a reverse sniffle.

Tears began to drip down Aoko's cheeks. "Is that really you, Kaito...? I've missed you so much," she sobbed. "But why are you here?! You're supposed to be dead!" Seeing him again after all this time was like a grapefruit -- bittersweet. All the emotions she had tried to forget about had resurfaced and were starting to drown her.

Kaito felt guilty for some reason. All of this was his fault. He wanted to apologize for, well, everything, but that wouldn't solve anything. In fact, it would probably make her feel even worse. Still, he wanted to comfort her somehow. Kaito looked at her and sighed. He concentrated a bit of energy into his hand and ruffled her hair. "Hey. You know why my house still hasn't been sold yet?" She shook her head. "Those rumors about my house being haunted were true. My body may have died that day, but I never truly left." Thankfully, no one had discovered that there was a hidden door behind the poster of his dad. It was fun to mess with the potential buyers, too. It kept him entertained. The rumors of his house being haunted kept most people away, except for the teenagers who went in on a dare or as a test of courage. "I won't be stuck here forever, so don't cry, alright?"

Aoko pulled herself together and made sense of Kaito's words. "So you're trapped here until you finish whatever it is you need to do?" she sniffled as she wiped away her tears.

"Basically," he shrugged. "But it's a work in progress. On the bright side, I'm working with this cute detective Shinichi Kudo. You've heard of him, right?"

Aoko perked up so she could hear about her dead friend's after-life affairs. "The name sounds familiar. What does he look like?"

"Exactly like me -- for real, I think he's my doppelgänger or something -- but slightly less handsome," he answered with a smirk. Aoko gave him a humorously unimpressed look. "Okay, okay, I'm kidding. He looks like that," he snickered, pointing to a photo of Shinichi and Inspector Megure on the wall. Megure stood to the left, professionally smiling directly at the camera, and Shinichi to the right, laughing and looking away from the camera with his attention focused elsewhere. Aoko had seen Shinichi's face a few times, and she occasionally saw the other inspector after department meetings. "Wow, I never noticed before, but you really do look alike!" she exclaimed in surprise. After looking at the photo for a while, Aoko finally turned back to Kaito and gave him a thumbs-up. "He sure is cute. Kind of like a more organized and contained version of you."

"We actually get along pretty well. I wish we had gotten to know each other while I was still alive. I'm just a ghost now, so I shouldn't get too fond of him, since I'm gonna have to leave this world eventually," he pouted. He knew that they'd have to part ways eventually, but thinking about it still hurt.

"Cheer up, Kaito! Enjoy the time you have together, even if it's short! Just because you're dead doesn't mean you can't score!!" she cheered.

"Yeah... I suppose you're right. By the way," Kaito began before he stole a sticky note and a pen from an empty office and gave it to Aoko to write on, "here, write down the numbers of our friends on here in case we get an idea. You can write yours if you want, but I already have it memorized, so..."

She nodded as she scribbled down some numbers on the neon yellow notepad. The notes reminded her of her notes she took for her classes. Her brows furrowed, and then suddenly, Aoko gasped as realization set in. "OH MY GOD! I FORGOT TO SUBMIT MY PAPER THAT'S DUE IN FIVE MINUTES!" she shrieked in horror. She immediately dropped both the pen and the note as she bolted down the hallway. Despite the sudden and abrupt end to their time together, now that he had spoken with Aoko, he felt relieved, like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

"Whoa!" he heard Shinichi yelp as Aoko darted past him, just barely avoiding crashing into her. "What's up with her?" Kaito turned around to face him.

"She's a friend of mine," he chuckled. "Forgot to submit a paper due in five minutes." The two of them shuddered in unison. "This is one of the few times I'm actually glad that I'm dead..."

"Tell me about it..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't alive in the 90's, so I don't know if people could submit papers to their professors yet... Ah, whatever.
> 
> The next chapter should be updated soon-ish!!


	10. Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRYYYYYYYYY YOU GUYYYSSSSSS UWAAAAAAAAAHHHHH.... "soonish" my ass... i'm so sorry for not updating in so long!! actually, i, uhh... kinda forgot where i was going with this ehehe... so this is more of a filler til i get everything updated and situated...  
> the story just kind of unfolds as I go along, so what I had in mind for the story when writing the prologue isn't the same as now. i'm gonna go back and revise it to repent for my sins.....
> 
> school has started up again (senior year, baby!!) and i have 2 AP classes but i PROMISE i will have everything updated by next monday or tuesday!

Shinichi writhed in pain as his body began to transform. The familiar sensation of his bones shrinking, the burning heat on his skin that felt like he was on fire, the frantic, panicked beating of his heart quickening its pace, the smoke coming from his body...

_It was happening again._

Screams of agony escaped from his mouth and warm, salty tears streamed from his tightly shut eyes. The pain was unbearable. "Ugh... It hurts so much...! Someone, anyone, please...!" He heard footsteps. All of his friends were gone, so who could it be? He opened his eyes, and although blurred with tears, he could see a figure approaching him. As it got closer and closer, the sliver of relief that had built up inside him quickly melted away into despair when he realized who it was. "You...!" he groaned, clutching onto the patch of grass in front of him. 

"You seem to be in a lot of pain, Mr. Detective. But don't worry, I'll put you out of your misery," the familiar silver-haired man said with a devilish smile. He pointed his revolver at Shinichi's head, and...!

Shinichi let out a blood-curdling scream as his eyes shot open and sensations flooded into him. He was gasping for air and his hands felt cold and sweaty, and they were trembling uncontrollably. "Shinichi!" A pair of arms wrapped around him. "Shinichi! Calm down, you're okay!  You're alright, it's okay! You're safe! It was just a bad dream...!"

"Kaito..." Everything came rushing back to him. He clutched onto the fabric of Kaito's shirt and let out a sob.

"Shh, it's alright," he whispered softly into Shinichi's ear. He heard a muffled sob in response. "Hey, it's okay, don't cry..."

"I'm not crying, dumbass..." he mumbled into Kaito's neck, embarrassed. The two of them stayed like that until eventually, Shinichi's breathing slowed and he stopped shaking. Normally, he would never let anyone see him in such a vulnerable state, but for some reason, Kaito was an exception. "Um... Sorry about all that..." His face was beet red.

"You don't need to apologize. More importantly, are you alright?"

"I think so... It was just so vivid, you know? It felt so real..." 

The incident with the Black Organization had changed him somewhat. Maybe a bit more than he would like to admit. Whether it was for better or for worse, he didn't know. He was more cautious now, he always had his guard up, and it was harder for him to sleep at night than it was before. The occasional nightmares didn't help very much, either. The psychologist said that what he was feeling was a natural and normal response after going through something traumatic, but...  _She doesn't know anything about me,_ his inner voice scoffed. He had been through worse before. He's tougher than that.

"...Shinichi? You okay?"

"You know, I... I'm really glad you're here. Thank you." It wasn't like living alone was a problem for him. He was a responsible adult now, after all. (Well, at least legally.) The recent company that Kaito had been providing certainly was nice, though. It made the big, lonely mansion he called home feel a little less empty. Now that he thought about it, it didn't make sense for only one person to be living in such a huge building that could accommodate, at the very least, four or five people.

He wished that Kaito could stay longer, but... once they find what he's looking for, he'll move on like he's supposed to. It would be selfish of him if he asked for anything more. And yet...

"...I wish you could stay. I want to get to know you more. I've grown so used to your presence that I don't know what I'm gonna once you're gone."

"Wow, you... You really mean that?" Shinichi nodded, his cheeks bright red. "...Thank you..." he responded meekly, his face reddening in return. He felt something warm bubble up inside of him. He averted his eyes, but he couldn't stop his lips from curling up into a smile. "Goodnight. Try to, uh... try to get some sleep, okay? Call for me if you need me!" Kaito exclaimed as he ran out of the bedroom like a shoujo manga protagonist who just gave her love interest a love letter. ...Had he always been so cute? 


End file.
